Check device for fire door



June 12, 1962- E. l.. KNOX 3,038,569

CHECK DEVICE FOR FIRE DOOR Filed Feb. 16, 1960 nited States Thisinvention relates to a check device for self-closing re doors, andnamely a device which will hold a tire door in an open position undernormal conditions, and which is caused to be released, permitting thedoor to close automatically, under the circumstance of a rise intemperature caused by a lire condition.

For its principal object the invention aims to provide a check device ofthis character which permits the door to be set so as to normally stayin a partially open condition, which can be thereafter -freely swung toa -fully open condition in order to permit day-to-day ingress or egress,and which will return to the partially open position for which it wasset when the concerned individual or individuals have passed through.

I-t is a further ancillary object to provide a check device of the ofthe described character in which the degree of opening for which thedoor is set may be easily and quickly changed so that more or lessventilation can be obtained at will.

As a still further object, the invention purposes to provide a device ofthe described character in which a fusible part thereof may be easilyand quickly replaced at nominal cost.

With the above objects and advantages in view and further aiming toprovide a reliable check device of simple and inexpensive constructionand which can be easily and quickly installed, the invention consists inthe novel construction and in the adaptation and combination of partshereinafter described and claimed.

ln the accompanying drawing:

FIGURE l is a fragmentary perspective view of a tire-door having a checkdevice constructed in accordance with the preferred teachings of thepresent invention applied thereto and shown in the performance of itsdoorchecking oce.

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of such door-checking device showndetached from the door; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged-scale sectional view detailing theportion of the device shown circled in FIG. 2.

Referring to said drawing the numeral designates a tire door of theswinging type to which the present invention is applied. While not shownit will be understood that such door is yieldingly urged by any suitablemeans toward its closed position. The head jamb of the frame in whichsaid door is hung is denoted by 11.

The present invention provides two brackets 12 and 13 each of which hasa -mounting base by which it is bolted or otherwise rigidly secured, theone to that face of the door which can be termed the inside in that itfaces toward the door opening and the other to the sotlit of said headjamb 11. Bracket 12 is made furcate with a pin 14 traversing the forkarms and is so mounted, adjacent the upper edge of the door and removeda substantial distance from the hinge, that the pin is verticallydis-posed. The bracket 13 occupies a position removed :from said hingeby substantially a like distance and presents a vertically disposed bore1S serving as a swivel mounting `for the stern 16 of a guide 17. Thestem is circumferentially grooved, as `at 18, and a screw 20 threadsthrough the Wall of the bracket to engage in said groove and hold thestern against endwise displacement from the bracket.

The guide has an exposed head in Which there is a atet F 3,033,569Patented June 12, 1962 through-bore 21 disposed normal to the swivelaxis. A threaded socket 22 is provided by said head in its exposed end,being placed co-axial with the stem.

The through-bore of said guide is adapted to receive, for slide motion,a rod 23 having one end pivotally attached to the bracket 12 by means ofthe pin 14. The free extremity of said rod has an outwardly facing hook24 fixed thereto.

A selected one of the links of a multiple-link chain 2S is vadapted tobe caught over such hook. This chain is removably attached by anS-coupling 26 to one of the two eyed terminals, as 27 and 28, of afusible link 30. The other eyed terminal 28 is clamped to the guide 17by means of a headed screw 3l threaded into the socket 22. The eyedterminals of said fusible link have a thickness substantially greaterthan the connecting web section 29 so that the exertion of clampingpressure upon either of said ends by the head of the screw 31 will notaffect the thermal point of fusing.

It is believed to be clear that the owner of a building in which redoors are installed is enabled to set such doors, for ventilationpurposes, at any selected degree of opening without nullifying governinglire codes. The door will open freely at all times `for means of ingressor egress without in any Way affecting the setting, the rod in such casesliding within the through-bore of the guide 17. When the person orpersons have passed through, the door closes only to the pre-setposition dictated by the length of fetter which obtains between the hook2li and the guide. A tire condition causes the fusible link to part andthe door then swings into its fully closed position.

It is self-evident that the present door check device lends itself touse with sliding as well as swinging lire doors.

It is thought that the invention will have been clearly understood fromthe foregoing detailed description of my now-preferred illustratedembodiment. Minor changes in the details of construction will suggestthemselves and can Ibe resorted to without departing from the spirit ofthe invention, wherefore it is my intention that no limitations beimplied and that the hereto annexed claims be given the broadestinterpretation to which the employed language fairly admits.

What I claim is:

l. In combination with a hinged door which is yieldingly urged toward aclosed position, a check device for holding the door in an opencondition and caused to release the door in response to a rise oftemperature above a predetermined level, said device comprising a pai-r0f brackets one attached to the inner face of the door adjacent itsupper edge in a position spaced a substantial distance from the `doorhinge, the other of said brackets being attached to the soilit of thehead jamb of the door opening in a position spaced `from the hingeapproximately the same distance as the door-mounted bracket, a rodhaving a length at least as long as the spacing between -thedoor-mounted bracket and the jamb-mounted bracket when the door is fullyopen and pivoted by one end to the door-mounted bracket with its otherend `freely slidable through a bore provided by a guide which issupported by the jamb-mounted bracket for swivel motion about -avertical axis, and a multi-link connection including a fusible elementas one of its links extending as a flexible tie from the guide to thefree end of the rod Vfor holding the door in an open condition, the rodremaining free at all times to slide within the guide in a directioncausing the two brackets to move directively from one another so thatthe door can be freely opened to a greater extent than that prescribedby the length of said flexible tie when such prescribed opening is lessthan a full opening, said rod having a hook upon its free end andwherein others of said links compose a chain of substantial length ofwhich the links admit of being selectively caught on said hook.

2. Structure according to claim l in which the fusible element isremovably attached to the chain.

3. A door-check assembly for the described purpose comprising twomounting brackets, a rod pivoted by one of its ends to one ofsaid'brackets and having the other end journaled for free slidingmovement in a throughbore provided by a guide which is supported by theother bracket for swivel motion about an axis normal to said slide axis,and an adjustable stop means limiting the travel to which the rod canpartake as the same slides in a direction causing the brackets to bebrought toward one another and comprised of a chain-fetter including afusi- -ble element within its length anchored by one of its ends to thesecond-named bracket and by the other of its ends to the free extremityof the rod.

4. The door-check assembly recited in claim 3 characterized in that theanchor connection provided by the rod comprises a hook to which aselected one of the chain links may be removably attached and servingthe added end of a stop preventing 'the rod and guide from becomingdisengaged as the rod slides in a direction causing the brackets to movefrom one another.

5. A door-check assembly for the described purpose comprising twomounting brackets, a rod pivoted by one of its ends to one of saidbrackets and having the other end journaled for free sliding movement ina throughbore provided by a guidewhich is supported by the other bracketfor swivel movement :about an axis normal to said slide axis, and anelongated member limiting the travel to which the rod can partake as thesame slides in a direction causing the brackets to be brought toward oneanother, said elongated member comprising a plurality of articulatedelements including a `fusible element within its length anchored by oneof its ends to the secondnamed bracket and by the other of its ends tothe free extremity of the rod, the rod remaining free at all times toslide within the guide in a direction causing the two brackets to movedirectively from one another so that the door can be yfreely opened to agreater extent than that described 4by the length of said elongatedmember when such prescribed opening is less than a full opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS600,186 Voigtmann Mar. 8, 1898 2,171,065 Johnson Aug. 29, 1939 2,270,073Merry Jan. y13, 1942 r l 'Amman

